Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The bigwigs of key political parties escalated their contacts, consultation and maneuvering for nomination of a new Prime Minister, SAMAA reports Thursday.

Sources said the ruling Pakistan People’s Party will hold a key meeting of its allies tonight to finalise the main nominee.

Ahead of the meeting, sources said, President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned MQM’s Farooq Sattar and asked him for his faction’s support for PPP candidates, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira.

Pakistan Peoples Party candidates, former Textile Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira filed their papers today.

Besides the ruling coalition, veteran politician Maulana Fazal ur Rehman, of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Sardar Mehtab Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) have also filed their papers.

The JUI-F chief has also contacted MQM chief Altaf Hussain, Aftab Ahmed Sherpao and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for the support in the National Assembly which is going to elect a PM on Friday.  --- SAMAA